


Erik's Assignment

by LightsOut



Category: X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: AU, Plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-29
Updated: 2014-08-06
Packaged: 2018-02-10 22:46:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2043147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightsOut/pseuds/LightsOut
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. Erik is a government agent (although they don't always like to admit it) and undercover is his speciality. Professor Charles Xavier runs Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. They've never met before Erik comes to the school looking for a job but Erik is really there to find out who has been using the school as a cover while they sell government and mutant secrets for profit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

He tapped his pen on the table and scowled at the door. He’d been waiting for ten long minutes. Erik was capable of being a patient man as his record proved. He could be patient as long as it was necessary in order for him to complete his goal. He was also determined. Every single goal that he was set he would achieve. 

He’d just been given a new target. 

The man in the photograph looked inconspicuous enough. He wore button down cardigans and slacks. His hair was ruffled just enough that Erik could tell that it was styled that way on purpose. He was the headmaster of a private school although he looked too young for the job. Erik would have to infiltrate Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters as part of his assignment. 

Erik had never taught before and his experience of school was very limited. He didn’t see how his particular skill set would grant him a teaching position as one of the most prestigious academies in the country but his superiors seemed confident. He wasn’t sure if that confidence was because of his track record or because failing just wasn’t an option.

One of them finally walked into the room where he was waiting patiently. She took one look at him and grimaced. He supposed that he did look a little bit scruffy since that he’d just been pulled out of a six month undercover operation in Columbia and brought straight to the head office in Boston but the reaction was still a little bit harsh. Compared to her sharp suit and perfectly straight hair he would never quite look as professional as he was due to the amount of work he did in the seedier places of the world. Not everyone belonged behind a desk.

Erik left the pen floating gently two inches above the table and he sat attentively while she took the other seat. She slid a file towards him and the blank, brown covering matched the file that was already in front of him. 

Without any preamble she told him, “I’m Special Agent Moira MacTaggert and someone is selling government secrets. They’re using Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters as a base and we need you to find out who it is.”

Erik rested his elbows on the table and he clasped his fingers together. He made the pen do a lazy rotation without touching it, “Any clues?” 

She shrugged and the reaction was shocking, “Everything we know is in those two files in front of you, including your cover. I’ve been told to warn you that this school is special.”  
Erik smirked, “Because they were all born with silver spoons in their mouths?”

She shook her head and her eyes settled on the floating pen, “Because they’re all mutants, Erik. Just like you.” While Erik tried to digest that piece of important information she stood up to leave. She left one parting shot, “The headmaster is also a telepath.”

Erik felt something very close to panic as he was left alone in the room. He had some defences against telepathy thanks to Emma Frost, another agent who was permanently stationed at the Boston headquarters. She was a telepath and she used her abilities to glean information from unwilling suspects. Their agency only dealt with the worst kind of people and sometimes extreme methods were necessary.

There weren’t many mutants who worked for the government but those who did tended to stick together which is why Erik could grudgingly call Emma a close acquaintance. To get some peace whenever they were together she’d taught Erik some tricks to block a telepath but Erik had no idea how well they really worked.

He opened the file and cursed as he read. This assignment was getting more and more complicated. There were profiles on each of the teachers but there wasn’t much information and only half of them had pictures. There was even less information on the students and Erik had the feeling that this assignment was time sensitive otherwise he wouldn’t have been pulled out of Columbia so suddenly.

Erik was in trouble and it wasn’t the good kind. Erik picked up both files and he headed for the door. The pen clattered down onto the table behind as his mind raced to make a list of what he had to do. He needed a drink if he was going to get a good jump on his research before he headed to Westchester County. He’d have to get his car back from Azazel. He’d have to re-pack his back because he would need different clothing to what he’d been forced to don for the past few months.

Erik just hoped that this assignment was worth the trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Erik pulled up in front of the gates and he had to admit that he was a little bit impressed. It didn’t look like there was any security apart from the padlocked gates that were overgrown but Erik could feel the hum of metal that came from hidden electronics. It made him feel kind of tingly in a good way. 

He rolled down the window of his Ford Mustang GT and he lowered his sunglasses a little bit to wink at the camera he could see at the top right hand corner of the gates. The gates opened, showing that the padlock was false, and Erik left his window rolled down as his car purred along. He loved his car. He was going to kill Azazel for the scratch he’d added on the left bumper at the back. It was only an inch long and if you didn’t know that it was there you wouldn’t see it but he knew. 

When he pulled up in front of the entrance to the mansion Erik seriously considered turning around and tearing out of there. He didn’t belong in a place like this. He belonged in a cockroach infested dive while he was setting up a sting for a group of drug dealers. 

Despite his nerves Erik turned off the ignition and he stepped out of the car. For now he left his bags in the trunk of the car and he walked up to the entrance. Standing in his way was a blue woman. She was entirely blue apart from her red hair and Erik was pretty sure that she was naked. Her blue skin had an interesting pattern across her entire body and she was smirking at Erik. In the next moment she changed. Erik marvelled at the way she changed from a blue skinned, red haired woman to a gorgeous young blonde but the smirk was still the same. 

She turned around, “Follow me.”

This assignment was becoming more and more interesting. Erik followed the blonde who was now wearing a short black dress instead of being naked. She had a killer figure. She led him through numerous corridors until they arrived in front of a solid wooden door that was closed. 

She winked at him, “Have fun.” 

She left him and Erik waited outside of the closed door for a moment. He wasn’t sure whether or not he was supposed to go inside and then a male voice called out from inside, “Come in Erik.”

Erik slammed his mental shields in place and he cursed himself for not doing it earlier. He just hoped that he’d not given away anything important in the meantime. Emma had given him a refresher course on blocking a telepath once he’d told her about the circumstances of his new assignment and he had to hope that it would be enough.

Erik opened the door and he walked inside. Sat behind the desk was the man from the photograph in the first file. Just like he did in the photograph he had soft ruffled brown hair and he was wearing a dark green cardigan over a white shirt. He smiled warmly at Erik and gestured to the vacant seat. 

Erik shook the man’s hand and sat down, “I’m Erik Lehnsherr. I’m here to apply for the new teaching position.”

The man nodded, “I’m Professor Charles Xavier, headmaster and teacher. Why do you want this job Erik?”

Erik hadn’t expected that as the first question. He’d also not expected the soft smile on the professor’s face while he’d said it. The British accent was also a bit of a shock. His agency really needed to step up their profiling skills. Being briefed properly was vital in his line of work and now he was furious at their lack of help. The lack of time to prepare hadn’t helped either.

Erik’s mind scrambled for an answer and he settled for something close to the truth, “I’m looking for something. I want to try something new and I didn’t want to pass up this opportunity.” 

The professor grinned at that answer and he nodded. He rested his hands on the desk, “I should tell you Mr Lehnsherr that this is no ordinary school.”

Erik smirked at the tactful hint, “Believe me, Professor, I know.”

Erik reached out with his powers and everything metal in the room started to vibrate. Eventually he settled on the paper clips sitting on the desk and he lifted them. One by one he linked them together without touching them and he dropped the chain gently onto a clear section of the desk. The professor did nothing to hide his impressed expression and Erik felt a momentary stab of pride at his own abilities. 

Erik leant back in his seat and remarked casually, “I also met the woman with blue skin in the doorway.”

The professor rolled his eyes and even his cardigans and shirts couldn’t hide his youth when he made an expression like that. He muttered, “I’ve told Raven repeatedly not to do that.” The professor smiled wryly, “Raven Darkholme is one of our teachers here. She teaches physical education. We have a varied programme to exercise all of the student’s abilities and it’s good to keep them active. They cause slightly less trouble that way.” 

Erik chuckled slightly, “It sounds interesting.” He feigned being humble, “I wasn’t sure that you’d even agree to meet me since that I don’t have a lot of experience in teaching.”

The professor smiled reassuringly, “You’re a powerful mutant Erik. I’m sure that you’ll fit in well.”

Erik was surprised, “Are you giving me the job? Why?”

It wasn’t Erik’s smoothest mission to date. 

The professor stood up, “Personally I’m curious about your mutation. Then there is your impressive mental shields, I didn’t peek on purpose, honestly, but usually at least something gleans through even when I’m not trying to listen and all I get from you is blissful silence. Then there is the fact that you followed Raven even after her little show. Raven isn’t the ideal welcome party but it didn’t even phase you which will help when you meet the children. Some mutations aren’t as subtle as yours or mine. We take our responsibilities at teachers and mentors very seriously here and I think that you realise that. If you want the job Erik, it’s yours. This is a probationary period of course in case you change your mind in a couple of days.” 

Erik wasn’t sure about this job. Somebody else should’ve been sent to do this. He could think of at least five people in his department that would’ve been better suited but now that he was here he nodded and stood up to shake the professor’s hand again. 

Erik answered, “I’ll take it. I just hope that I’m up to the task.” 

The professor’s smile was confident, “I’m sure that you are. Now, would you like a tour?”

Instead of calling for someone else Charles was the one who led him around the mansion. He insisted that Erik called him Charles because all of the faculty went by their first names with each other and he talked about the history of the house and why he’d started the school. Erik found himself fascinated. He was getting more of a briefing from Charles than his own agency had given him.

Charles informed him that if he didn’t have anywhere to stay he was welcome to a room on the top floor where a few of the other teachers stayed permanently. Erik accepted the invitation because that would give him more time to complete his assignment. Erik didn’t want to have to travel back and forth every day from the nearest town which was at least a couple of miles away. 

Erik studied Charles while they walked. Charles was obviously very proud of the school. His hands fluttered while he talked and he chattered about everything. Erik nodded and listened patiently. The house and the surrounding grounds were huge and Charles apologised for not being able to take him around the grounds outside but he said that he had some urgent work to do. 

Erik nodded and they stopped at the front doors to the house. Erik started to say thank you for the tour when he saw something in the corner of his eye outside the open doors. Erik scowled and he stormed outside, “Get the hell away from my car!”

The five boys surrounding the sleek black machine scattered and Erik distantly noticed that one of them was running far too fast for a normal human. Erik ran his hand gently across the hood and he crooned softly, “I’m sorry for leaving you like that baby. Did those nasty kids hurt you?”

Erik jumped when he heard a low laugh behind him and he blushed. He’d forgotten that Charles was still there in his hurry. Erik turned around and Charles was grinning at him. Charles walked closer slowly, “Is it scratched?”

Erik smiled sheepishly, “No more than it already was. I’m sorry about that. It probably wasn’t the best way to handle the situation.”

Charles clapped Erik on the back and Erik had to force himself not to jump at the easy, familiar movement, “I’m sure you’ll do better when you’re faced with them again. I know all of their names if you want me to round them up for you.”

Erik shook his head, “No need. I thought that you had work to do?”

Charles nodded, “I’m afraid that I do.” Charles spotted someone coming around the corner of the house, “Hank, I’d like you to lead Mr Erik Lehnsherr, our new English Literature teacher, to a room upstairs and show him the garage so that he can put his car somewhere safe.” 

Hank, a skinny kid with glasses nodded nervously and Charles clapped Erik on the back again, “Goodbye for now my friend. Dinner is a private thing here for the teachers so you can feel free to help yourself from the kitchen or you can join the other teachers in one of the studies this evening.” 

Erik nodded, not promising anything and he turned to Hank who gulped and ran a nervous hand through his hair, “This way please, sir.”


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Erik woke up immediately and groaned. The sun was falling directly on his face through the gap in the heavy red curtains. Erik just pulled a pillow across his face and groaned again. He didn’t know what time it was but it was really early. Too early. 

Erik had been staying up all night for so many months that he wasn’t used to waking up in the morning. Apparently that didn’t stop him from coming awake quickly like he was on a hair trigger. He barely remembered the days when he woke up and didn’t immediately reach for the gun or knife that he was used to keeping underneath his pillow. Late evening was definitely his favourite time of day.

Erik risked a peek at the clock and he shot upright. It was 8:05 a.m. That meant that he was five minutes late to teach his first class. That didn’t bode well. He stumbled out of bed and tore through his bag for some decent clothing. 

He’d spent a lot of time during the evening the day before trying to subtly interrogate the other staff he’d seen in the study while he’d eaten and when he’d finally retired to his room he’d written up his notes. He’d searched for a safe place to stash the papers so that even the nosiest person couldn’t find them. Eventually he’d thought that stashing them inside a thin metal tube he kept in hid duffle bag for practice would be fine and he’d sealed it with his powers. 

After last night he still wasn’t any closer to finding the culprit. He’d not expected to find the traitor on his first day but he had hoped to make at least a little bit of progress. The only strong feeling he had was that he doubted that it was Charles but that didn’t mean that he was going to let his guard down around the man.

Erik stumbled into one of the classrooms ten minutes later and he found Charles sitting in what was supposed to be his desk. Erik blushed and wished that he’d taken a few seconds to at least finger comb his hair. He shrugged helplessly and explained, “My alarm doesn’t work.” 

Charles just smiled like it wasn’t a problem, “I have someone who can fix that for you.” Charles addressed the class, “Students, this is Mr Erik Lehnsherr and he is our new English Literature teacher.” Erik had a moment of panic as he realised he had no idea what he was going to talk about. Normally he planned everything but he was messing up his assignment before it was even really started. Charles just kept talking, “This is Erik’s first teaching position so I expect all of you to behave yourself.”

Charles nodded reassuringly to Erik and clapped him on the back as he left. Erik was suddenly faced with seventeen teenagers and he was more terrified than he had ever been in the face of a gang with guns. Erik shuffled to stand behind the desk and every single pair of eyes followed him closely. He’d never felt like he was under such intense scrutiny before. Enemy interrogations were more comfortable than the awkward silence in the room. 

Erik cleared his throat his mind scrambled for something to say. He reminded himself about the time he’d been stuck in Serbia with two injured enemy agents and he’d brought all of them out of that mess alive. He could do this. He took a deep breath and tried to start with something simple, “How many of you have read the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare?”

After learning that none of them had read the play his disgust was apparently obvious because a few of the students laughed nervously. Erik settled on the edge of the desk and he stayed like that as he spoke about one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. They were so silent that Erik could hardly believe it when every single student told him that they’d enjoyed the lesson when the two hours were over. Even if they were lying it was surprisingly nice to hear. 

Erik was starting to understand why he’d been given the assignment. It was well-known around the office that Erik loved books. The story about the time he’d let himself be captured by a gang called the Black Kings so that they wouldn’t destroy the library he was visiting was infamous. He could talk about books for hours if he was allowed and apparently he’d just proved that. Erik couldn’t imagine anyone else from the office being able to pull off a lecture like that on the spot.

Someone cleared their throat from the doorway and Erik looked up to find Charles standing there, “You did a good job.” 

Erik frowned, “How did you know?” 

Charles was grinning, “Sorry but I was listening through the students. They were very impressed Erik. You made a good impression considering that you weren’t prepared.” 

Erik repeated the question, “How did you know?” He shook his head, “Never mind. I’m free until this afternoon aren’t I?”

Charles nodded, “I hope that you’re going to at least pretend to have a plan for then.”

Erik chuckled, “Yes, sir. I might even write something down.”

It wasn’t until Charles left that Erik marvelled at how unusual it was for him to joke with anybody, especially with somebody that he’d only just met. Erik browsed the selves in the room and he pulled a face at the previous instructors taste. He wondered if he could pass off new books as assignment expenses and have his agency foot the bill. Right before he lost all hope he found a dog-eared copy of ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’.

Erik hadn’t read much gothic literature but this was one book he’d meant to read for a long time. He opened the first page, noted that the copy belonged to Charles, and he settled down in the seat behind his desk. He had two hours before his next class and he was more than willing to make up the class on the spot. He could plan something properly for tomorrow. 

The next class went as quietly and as well as the first one as Erik talked about the relevance of poetry. To his surprise not one kid snickered or complained when he spent two hours talking about poetry and they didn’t look bored. He assumed that it was the fact that he was new and he just carried on. Just before the end Erik noticed something at the back and he stood up slowly. He walked slowly to the window and ignored the children who were staring at him. Standing in the middle of the lawn was a red skinned man in a suit with a wide smile and a long red tail. The man was there one moment and gone the next but Erik continued to stare. 

A student dared to ask, “Is something wrong sir?”

Erik shook off the shock and he turned to smile at them all, “Not at all. I thought that I saw something. So, read the poems I recommended, or not as I’m sure some of you will avoid it, and have a good evening.” 

The students all left with mumbled phrases and Erik nodded and replied politely. Once they were all gone the same red-skinned devil who’d stood on the lawn for a few seconds was standing in front of him in his classroom. Erik slammed the door closed and hissed, “What the hell are you doing here Azazel?” 

Azazel sat on one of the tables and chuckled, “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

Erik rubbed a hand across his face, “For god’s sake Azazel, don’t you understand the meaning of undercover? You’re not exactly inconspicuous.” 

Azazel shrugged, “Emma was worried. She wanted to know if you were keeping your guard up.” 

Erik sat down in his chair, “Of course I am. I don’t have anything to report yet. I’ve been accepted as the new, and slightly hopeless teacher, Charles is interested in my mutation and the students seem okay. As for who is selling secrets, well, I don’t know who that is yet.” 

Azazel teased, “So, Charles is interested in you then?”

Erik rolled his eyes, “Juvenile. Now, go and scamper back to your handlers before I kill you for scratching my car.” 

Azazel jumped down from the table, “Actually it wasn’t me, it was a girl who was very interested in the fact that I had red skin.” 

Azazel blinked out before Erik could yell at him which was probably for the best. Erik closed his eyes and grimaced. This assignment was going to go wrong. He could just feel it like he could feel metal. It was going to go so, so wrong.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (James Myers is an original character of mine and his nickname is Sleeper. I’m sure you’ll see why)

Chapter Four

Two days later Erik was standing at the front of the classroom. He was glaring at the student stood in front of him. He could understand that the students wanted to test his temper but they really shouldn’t. Erik’s normal control seemed to have gone out of the window and it didn’t help that he still didn’t have any leads for his investigation. There were just too many people to check and Erik couldn’t understand how Charles hadn’t picked up on anything out of the ordinary. So far Erik didn’t think that Charles had broken through his mental control and as far as he was aware Charles hadn’t tried but Erik did know that the other mutant was powerful. He’d seen that much at least. Erik looked down at the little hellion in front of him and he crossed his arms across his chest. 

His muscles flexed which helped with the imposing air he was aiming for, “Do it again?” 

The kid shuffled his feet nervously and Erik grinned. It wasn’t a nice smile and more than one person had likened it to the expression a shark has when it’s on the hunt. Erik loved that description. 

The kid winced, “Do what sir?”

Erik chuckled and he knew that the sound was dark. He was fairly sure at this point that most of the kids were sending out silent distress calls to Charles. Erik wasn’t worried, “You know what. Come on, don’t be shy now that everyone is watching. You thought that it was hilarious when I had my back turned.”

The kid was visibly shaking. One boy at the back of the class chuckled but the sound was cut off as soon as Erik glared at him. The kid in front of him, Erik was fairly sure that his name was James Myers, rolled up the sleeve of his shirt. James had some sort of thin blue spikes that emerged from his arm and Erik had just found out that they were detachable. If he’d not turned around in time those spikes would’ve hit him but Erik had lifted the metal tray to act as a shield. It was lucky that he’d had his dinner in his classroom that day.   
Erik grabbed the kid’s wrist gently and peered closely at the spikes, “What do they do?” 

James swallowed nervously, “They act like a tranquilizer dart.” Erik glared at him and he finished in a rush, “They’re mild with no side effects whatsoever. You would’ve just been asleep for a little bit. Sean dared me.”

The kid who’d laughed before said, “Hey, you’re the one who said that you could get him!” 

Erik gestured to him, “Come here Sean.” 

Sean slumped and he reluctantly walked to the front. Erik had let go of James’ wrist but the kid didn’t dare move away. Erik was having fun. He could work on his mission later. For now he wanted to get a better idea on how many varieties of mutants there were at the school. Erik settled back against his desk. He rarely used the chair during class as he preferred to lean on the wall or perch on the edge of the desk that was more comfortable than the one at head office. Honestly Erik had no idea why head office had even bothered to give him a desk since that he was only ever there once in a blue moon. 

Erik asked, “What can you do Sean?” 

The kid smirked, “I’m not sure that you want me to do that, sir.” 

Erik smirked back and his expression was better thanks to years of practice. Erik told him calmly, “Go ahead.” 

Sean shrugged and turned to face the windows. All of the kids scrambled out of their seats and pressed themselves tightly against the walls. Apparently they knew what was coming. Suddenly a piercing scream emitted from Sean’s mouth and all three windows smashed. The sound cut off as soon as it started. Erik’s ears were ringing slightly but he didn’t care about that. He straightened as Sean turned back to face him.

James said weakly, “That’s why they call him Banshee.” 

Erik laughed, “You give each other nicknames?” 

Sean crossed his arms and huffed, “What’s so great about being able to lift a metal tray without touching it?”

Erik grinned and that shark-like expression produced such a wonderful reaction of fear. Erik hadn’t realised just how powerful teaching could make you feel. It felt great. Erik casually reached out for every metal thing in the room. He started with the metal zip on Sean’s jacket by zipping it up to the top and making him complain. Then every piece of metal in the room and the pipes in the wall started to vibrate. 

Charles found them in the room a few minutes later and Erik had created a metal version of a laser grid trapping all of the kids in the room. Erik was sitting on his desk with his legs crossed and he was laughing loudly. 

Charles asked in alarm, “Erik, what is going on in here?” 

Erik laughed harder, “Relax, they’re not hurt. They’re just trapped. Sean decided to dare me.” 

Sean’s protests were the loudest and Erik just couldn’t stop grinning. Their yelling was music to his ears. Charles didn’t look happy, “You can’t treat the children this way Erik.”

Erik stood up, “So, I can’t perform a harmless little trick with some paperclips and other random pieces of metal but it’s alright for James to try and poison me.” 

James protested weakly, “A tranquilizer, not poison.”

Charles turned to face the red-haired kid and he was glaring, “That is not how we treat other people James! You’re lucky Erik didn’t do something worse.” He looked at Sean, “And I know that you had something to do with this Sean. Don’t you dare think that you’re getting away with this! Both of you can come to my office as soon as classes are over. Erik, you can do the same thing once you’ve cleaned up this mess.” 

Erik nodded and Charles left the room so that Erik could get started. Erik dropped the pieces of metal straight onto the floor. They really were paperclips and other small pieces of metal but with Erik’s power holding them they were stronger then prison bars. Erik was more than a little bit smug when he told them to do the assigned reading he’d given them and they scattered from the room. He didn’t think that anyone would avoid their homework after his little metal demonstration.

Putting the mess away was extremely easy thanks to his powers so he was standing in front Charles’ office no more than ten minutes later. He was almost giggling as he had literally been sent to the headmaster’s office for the first time in his life. It wasn’t unlike getting sent to his superior’s office at work. He always found that funny as well. 

Charles called out, “Get in here Erik.” 

Erik sauntered in, there really was no other word for it, and he dropped down into the vacant chair. He practically had to bite his lip to stop himself from grinning. Charles looked stern and Erik could feel his laughter trying to escape. 

Charles scowled, “Erik, your behaviour was completely unprofessional and you scared those poor kids. You can’t do that sort of thing as a teacher. Showing off a little bit is fine when you’re trying to establish a rapport, especially with kids as special as ours but you went too far.”

Charles in a scolding mood was rather impressive. Erik was tempted to test him but he needed to keep his cover as the eager young teacher so he couldn’t go too far in pushing the professor. Erik nodded and answered seriously, “You’re right. I did go too far but none of those kids are going to try and tranquilize me now so I can’t lie and say that I’m upset about what I did. I promise that I will not do anything like it again.”

Charles nodded and relaxed, “Good. Sean and James will be given consequences for their actions and I’ll have Hank fix your window. It might be breezy in your classroom for a couple of days.”

Erik nodded, “That’s fine. If you don’t mind I’d like to go and find some of the kids. I’m sure that they’re still rattled from my actions and I’d like to start damage control immediately.” 

Charles smiled slightly, “That’s a very good idea. Thank you Erik.”


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Erik sped up as he ran towards the satellite. It was huge and Erik saw no reason why Charles would need such a large piece of equipment on the grounds but it made a good goal. To work of some of his energy Erik had started jogging at lunchtime. He’d tried spending it with the other teachers but he wasn’t making any progress in his investigation and his frustration meant that he didn’t always make the best company. The lack of physical activity had started making him anxious and running was the perfect outlet. 

It certainly didn’t hurt that there was plenty of space around the school. Occasionally he saw students and teachers but the best moments were when it was just him and the sense of space. It was so much better than being stuck in an office or a hovel all day. 

Erik reached the satellite and he dropped down into his back in the grass so that he was looking up at the clear blue sky. He’d run harder than usual and he was definitely planning on walking back to the house instead of jogging. Weakly he thought that Charles should install a swimming pool. It would be good to vary the type of physical activity that he was doing. 

Erik closed his eyes and frowned at himself. He shouldn’t care. He wasn’t planning on staying. He had a job to do and then he would be sent somewhere else. He shouldn’t care that the thought of leaving caused his stomach to clench. It was ridiculous even if this assignment was pleasantly challenging in a way he’d not felt for a long time. 

Erik had been at the school for just over a week although it felt longer and he’d found the weekend strange. There were no classes on Saturday or Sunday and the children were everywhere. Eventually he’d tried to retreat to his room for some peace and quiet but when he’d stumbled across Charles talking to the students about the idea of grading the strength of a mutation he’d abandoned the idea. Charles invited Erik into the room as soon as he saw him loitering in the doorway and Erik had learned a lot about mutations from the professor. 

Actually, Erik had learned a lot since he’d arrived but none of it was relevant to his assignment. He knew that Charles preferred tea to coffee. Raven wore her blond bombshell form a lot but she preferred her blue skin. Hank was a genius but the kid was terrified of him for some reason. The art teacher was a guy called Logan who looked like anything but a teacher. 

Erik’s mind went over everything that he could think of from the past week until he settled on something from that morning. After a casual comment from Erik over breakfast Charles had latched onto the idea of them playing chess. Apparently the ability to read someone’s mind and know their move before they played it diminished the joy of the game but that wouldn’t be the case between them. So, amused by Charles’ excited reaction, Erik had agreed to meet Charles in his study to play chess that evening. 

Erik figured that it had to be better than sitting by himself making frustrated notes about the fact that he’d still not made any real progress. In those moments he consoled himself with the fact that Azazel had not showed up again so Emma wasn’t yet fussing like a mother hen. If it wasn’t for the fact that she actually came in useful now and again Erik could’ve grown extremely tired of her fussing by this point. 

Erik sat up reluctantly and he pushed a hand through his sweat slicked hair. He checked that he was alone and he pulled of his sweatshirt which left him in a tight white tank top and grey sweatpants. He considered taking off his top as well but he wasn’t sure if there were any kids close by and he didn’t fancy giving them a free show even if he was proud of his body and how hard it worked. He’d already been in trouble enough times since he’d started teaching. Erik leant back against the base of the satellite and he closed his eyes to enjoy the feel of the metal against his skin. 

Raven interrupted his moment of quiet, “You’re not really a social butterfly are you?” 

His lips twitched and he opened one eye, “Hello, Blue, why are you wearing that ridiculous disguise?” 

She frowned, “This is just my normal self. You see me like this almost every day.” 

Erik smirked and patted the ground next to him, “That gorgeous blue skin is your normal self. The pretty blond thing is an indulgence. Not that I say I can blame you.” 

Raven sat next to him and she changed to the blue form he’d seen the first time he’d showed up. Erik nodded, “Better. Blue is beautiful.”

Raven sniggered and punched him in the shoulder, “That’s the stupidest thing anyone has ever said.” 

Erik grinned, “Good. What are you doing all of the way out here?” 

Raven shrugged, “I could ask you the same question. Logan was spoiling for a fight and I wanted to get out of the way. I’m not in the mood to embarrass him again. Plus Charles wanted me to see if the angle on this satellite was right to get Sean to fly.”

Erik raised one eyebrow, “Fly?”

Raven nodded, “Charles keeps insisting that Sean’s sonic voice could propel him across the earth to mimic flight with the help of a suit that Hank has designed. Sean’s still refusing to try it.” 

Erik grinned and the expression was a little bit evil, “I’ll bet that I could convince him.” 

Raven chuckled, “They’re still talking about your stunt with the metal earlier this week. Did you know that they have started calling you Magneto?"

Erik cringed, "Is that the best that they could come up with?"

Raven laughed, "Usually Logan is their favourite thing to gossip about. I think that he’s jealous.”

Erik smiled at the possibility, “He’s welcome to come and find me any time. So, are you ready to go back to the school?”

As they walked and talked Erik couldn’t crush the thought that he really hoped the traitor wasn’t Raven. Erik walked straight into Charles’ office without waiting and he found the professor in a compromising position. Charles was kneeling on his couch with his back to the door and his butt in the air while he leant over the back of the chair. The couch was against one wall so there wasn’t much of a gap but apparently Charles was intent on finding whatever he was looking for because he didn’t even register Erik’s presence. The sight was too funny to interrupt so Erik just pushed the door closed slightly behind him and he watched.

Eventually Charles straightened with a triumphant, “A-ha!” 

Erik couldn’t resist. He clapped and Charles jumped. Charles dropped the book that he was holding onto the couch and he whirled around to find Erik standing in his office. The metal-bender was laughing loudly with no sense of propriety.

Charles’ cheeks flushed and he snapped, “Close the door properly Erik.”

Erik did and he moved to stand in front of the chess board by the window, “What on earth where you doing Charles?”

Charles was obviously irritated by Erik’s laughing. He put the book back on the shelf and grumbled, “What did it look like? I was trying to get a book.”

Erik sat down in front of the black chess pieces after a moment of consideration, “Why was the book behind your couch?”

Charles flopped down in the opposite seat, “I think that someone has been in my office.”

Erik sat up a little straighter, “Who? Why?”

Charles eyes narrowed slightly and Erik wondered if it was because of the order he’d asked those questions in. Charles answered, “I don’t know who but last night that book was on my shelf and this morning it was gone. I finally located it just before you came in. I don’t know why either.”

Erik thought about not asking and then he did anyway, “Shouldn’t you know everything. You are a telepath after all.”

Charles cringed, “I try not to intrude Erik. Sometimes a thought will be too loud for me to ignore but skimming the surface is a lot different to reading someone’s thoughts intentionally. You know, I am interested in where you learned to block a telepath, Erik.” 

He was treading dangerous ground. It was a good job that Erik liked to live dangerously. Erik gestured to the board for Charles to make his first move and he answered, “I’m friends with a woman named Emma. She’s a telepath and she taught me a few tricks mostly so that she didn’t have to listen to my ‘internal babble’ as she called it.” 

Charles moved a pawn on the board and it was easy to tell that he was excited by the idea of another telepath. If he noticed that Erik didn’t mention her last name he didn’t say anything. Erik moved a knight. He liked to start with the stronger pieces when he was on the defensive. 

Charles let his curiosity bubble over, “Is she a strong telepath.” 

Erik considered his answer carefully, “I would say so but since that you’re only the second telepath I’ve ever met I don’t have much of a basis to go on. She’s not entirely like you though.” 

When talking about mutations Charles was practically giddy, “What do you mean?” 

Erik was positive that he should not be talking about this. He answered him anyway, “Her whole body can turn into a substance that mimics the properties of a diamond. It is quite a sight when she does that. Nothing can hurt her when she’s like that and she punches like a freight train.” 

Charles’ bright blue eyes were practically glittering in his excitement, “Diamonds? Really, is it solid? Is it her entire body? Does it affect her telepathy?” 

Erik chuckled, “Slow down. Yes, it is her entire body that changes and apparently turning into diamonds makes her mind impossible to read although I don’t know if she can read anyone else when she’s in that form.”

Charles gave a soft sigh, “Incredible. I don’t suppose that you could convince her to visit sometime Erik?”

Erik tried to stay calm and he shrugged, “I’m not sure. She liked to travel and she’s in Australia at the moment.”

For once Erik wasn’t so proud of his ability to lie convincingly. Charles sighed again and this time the sound was tinged with soft disappointment, “Never mind. Maybe I can meet her in the future.” 

Erik secretly hoped that he wouldn’t because the most likely scenario of Charles meeting Emma would mean that Charles was the traitor. Erik hadn’t ruled out the possibility but he had accepted that he didn’t want it to be true. 

Their game was a long, drawn out process that thrilled Charles because it wasn’t an easy win and Erik retreated to his room after promising that he wouldn’t go so easy on the professor next time. Erik had to complete his mission quickly before he became any more invested in these people’s lives than he already was.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Erik ducked to avoid being hit in the head by a woman who was flying rapidly down the corridor. Erik marvelled at the fact that she had dragonfly-like wings that emerged from her back and they were completely functional. He wondered how the flimsy-looking wings managed to lift the weight of an entire person so far off the ground. 

Immediately after he almost collided with her Erik had to jump to one side to avoid being run into by a blond kid who was chasing down the woman with clearly violent intentions. Erik stifled a sigh as he realised that he was going to have to follow those kids before they hurt themselves or someone else. He just hoped that their argument was something minor.

Erik found them outside next the deep fountain in the courtyard. The blond kid was yelling at the brunette who was flying in circles above him and he looked mad. Erik wasn’t sure but he thought that Charles had warned him about the blond kid for some reason. The flying woman caught sight of Erik and she stopped circling but she didn’t lower herself to the ground. 

Erik attempted to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand, “What’s going on here?” 

The blond kid turned around slowly, “It’s none of your business, sir.”

Erik shook his head, “I’m afraid that it is since that you both nearly knocked me down in the corridor. You’re a danger to other people like that.”

Something changed in the blonde’s expression. Erik had seen that before. The flying woman muttered, “Uh oh.”

She quickly took off as fast as she could and the blonde raised his voice, “You think I’m dangerous, sir? Alright, I’ll show you why I’m dangerous.” 

Erik had a split second to react as rings of red light wound around the kid’s body like a hula hoops. Erik dived down into the fountain and hoped for the best. He looked up through the water which was thankfully deep enough to envelope his body. He was amazed to watch the rings slice through the Grecian statue that stood in the middle of the fountain like it was butter and Erik scrambled backwards as the upper torso of the statue fell towards him. He didn’t move far enough as a sharp edge struck him in the temple and Erik was knocked unconscious. 

Erik had been knocked out five times before and by now he knew the protocol. Step one was to not open your eyes right away because the light was going to hurt. Step two was to systematically check for any other injuries without moving around too much. 

As far as Erik could tell he was fine on that front so he opened his eyes slowly. The light was much dimmer than he’d suspected so his eyes didn’t sting as much as he expected. He was extremely grateful for that. He sat up slowly and it wasn’t the first time he’d had to get up by himself after he’d been knocked unconscious. It was disturbingly familiar.  


Erik spotted Charles by the window and he finally realised that he was in Charles’ office. He’d been lying on Charles’ couch and Erik hadn’t appreciated how long and comfortable it was until that moment. He wouldn’t have thought that he could fit the length of his body onto it. Charles looked very sombre as he sat by their unfinished chess match from the evening before as they had both felt too tired to finish it. 

Erik stretched and he realised that he was still damp from being submerged in the fountain. Instead of allowing himself to remember what had happened slowly it all rushed back to him at once. He clutched at his wet hair and groaned gently. 

Erik asked, “Who was that kid?”

Charles answered without turning to look at him, “His name is Alex Summers although he was given the nickname Havoc shortly after he moved here. He can absorb energy and dispel it. It is extremely destructive. We’re trying hard to work on his anger issues. The other mutant that you met is called Angel. Her mutation is fairly obvious, I’m sure but she can also spit acid.”

Charles voice was flat and Erik was certain that the dull tone was because of something he’d done. He just couldn’t figure out what it was. Erik tried to stand up and then thought better of it when the dizziness and nausea struck him. He breathed through it until he could ask, “What’s wrong Charles?”

Charles turned to face him and Erik realised that he’d been wrong. Charles wasn’t merely upset, he was angry, “Why should anything be wrong? Someone, as well as yourself, is just using myself and my school and we’ll probably get caught in the crossfire without being any the wiser.” 

Shock dawned. Erik slammed his mental shields in place fast enough that Charles physically jumped. Erik could understand his point which just made him angrier. He stood up, ignoring the waves of dizziness that threatened to swallow him. 

Erik paced, “I am trying to help you and this school by doing my job. My real job that is important so if you want to whine about it you should do it to someone else. It’s not my fault that you’re so trusting you would hire just anybody and what the hell were you doing rooting through my mind without permission?” 

Charles jumped to his feet, “I was trying to see if brain damage because I happened to be concerned. It’s not my fault that you had so many goddamn secrets.” 

As swearing went it wasn’t that impressive but it was the first time that Erik had heard him curse and it went some way into showing Erik just how annoyed he was. At this point Erik was fairly sure that the traitor wasn’t Charles. Erik tried to settle his breathing which had sped up as he yelled. 

Erik said more calmly and quietly, “Charles, you’ve seen for yourself what I do and I am not going to apologise for any of it. I am good at my job and someone needs to do it. Thank you for being concerned enough to try and look after me. If you tell me to leave right now I will, but my agency will keep a close eye on you and everyone here until they find what they are looking for. The reason that I am here is to speed the process along before anything too valuable if given away but, I will leave if you want and I will not come anywhere near here again. My agency doesn’t want to impose any more than they have to but they will if they think that it is necessary.” 

Charles stepped close so that he was invading Erik’s personal space. The professor was a few inches shorter than Erik but that didn’t make his anger any less impressive. Charles looked furious. 

He told him, “This is my school Erik. I know why you didn’t tell me because you genuinely thought that it might just be me and I can understand why. You made me think that we were friends Erik. I trusted you despite your shields and your obvious lack of teaching experience. This is supposed to be a sanctuary where we are safe and I thought that you needed that. That is why I hired you.” 

Erik didn’t dare step back, “I was surprised myself when we became friends Charles and I wasn’t happy when I realised that you would find out sooner or later that I’d kind of lied about why I was here. That doesn’t change the fact that someone is obviously abusing your trust a lot more than I did and you barely know me.”

Charles’ expression hardened, “Who do you think it is?” 

Erik thought about not answering but Charles looked angry enough to resort to underhanded methods. Erik had no intentions of making an enemy out of a powerful telepath even if he was usually a pacifist, “I’m not sure. I’ve not been here long enough to know if anyone has been acting out of character, but you have.”

Charles paled, “You expect me to help you?”

Erik shrugged, “I expect you to do the right thing. I’m sure that you want to find this guy even more than I do and now that you know I’m sure that my agency would appreciate your full co-operation.” 

Before Charles could reply with what was probably going to be profanity a familiar voice interrupted, “I had you down for screwing up before now Erik. You’ve never done well when it comes to other mutants.” 

Erik turned and snapped, “Azazel, what the hell are you doing here?” 

Azazel was lounging on the sofa with a glass of scotch in one red hand, “Emma told me what happened. Don’t ask me how she knew. She’s not reported it yet but you know how much of a stickler she is for paperwork.” 

Erik grunted. He looked at Charles whose mouth was hanging open in shock, “You’re bright red!”

Erik rolled his eyes, “Raven is blue. It shouldn’t be that much of a shock.”

Azazel loved to show off. He disappeared from the sofa and he reappeared a second later across the room in front of the bookshelves without the glass of scotch. Erik could practically see Charles’ mind racing as he was faced with a new mutation. Azazel practically preened at the attention and Erik growled. He stormed forward and reached for the collar of Azazel who just stepped out of the way and reappeared next to Charles. 

Erik was half convinced that Charles wanted to touch Azazel and he almost lost it. He’d been knocked out by some kid and now he had to deal with all of this, “Move away from him you slut Azazel. Run back to Emma and tell her that she can do whatever she likes. I started this damn assignment and I am going to finish it.”

Azazel tutted, “Such language Erik. Is it any wonder that you’re usually sent into drug dens with the dregs of society?”

Erik swore and Azazel laughed loudly. Erik threw a book which Azazel was laughing too hard to dodge but his laughter cut off when the book hit him in the head. Erik would relish a good fight with Azazel because neither of them ever held back. Judging by the look on Azazel’s face he wasn’t the only one who felt like fighting. Before either of them could move Erik suddenly felt lethargic and it seemed that Azazel felt the same. 

Charles had two fingers pressed against his temple and he said calmly, “Sorry, but I couldn’t let you destroy my office. We’ve probably already attracted enough attention as it is. Erik, you can find your man but as soon as that is done I want you out of my school. For now we will still pretend that you’re nothing more than the new English literature teacher. Now, how does your mutation work Azazel? It is simply fascinating.”


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

They were standing on top of the satellite. Erik wasn’t sure why Charles had invited him, especially because Sean had been alternating between glares and fearful looks every time he looked at him. They were still working on their issues with each other.

Charles was trying to reassure the kid, “It’s alright Sean. You know that you can do this and just think about how incredible it will be to fly using your own splendid abilities.”

Sean was visibly shaking and it wasn’t because it was so cold. Erik was leaning against the rail and smirking. Charles was good with the kids but he just couldn’t see Sean jumping off the top of the satellite without some help. He wondered if that was why Charles had invited him along. If Erik pushed him then it wouldn’t do anything to destroy the trust between the professor and the kid.

Erik folded his arms, “The kids not going to do it Charles. He’s too scared.”

Charles frowned at Erik and he put his hand on Sean’s shoulder, “He’s fine and he is going to be perfectly fine. Just don’t forget to scream and you’ll be fine Sean.”

Sean looked like he was going to be sick, “I don’t think that screaming is going to be a problem.”

Charles asked, “Don’t you trust me?”

Sean was pale with fear, “Of course.” Then, a moment later, he said, “I’m going to die.”

Charles chuckled, “Nonsense. You can do this Sean.”

Sean turned around so that his back was to all of them and he spent the next five minutes trying to psyche himself up. That was all Erik could stand before he quietly stepped up behind him and gave him a small shove to tip him over the edge. Charles started to yell at him but he stopped talking when Sean screamed and he started to soar over the ground. It was an incredible sight.

Erik smiled, proud of the kid even if he had needed help in the beginning, and Erik headed for the stairs, “You know that you were thinking about it as well Charles. I have papers to mark.”

That evening Erik arrived in Charles’ office. It was partly for their chess match and partly to see if Charles had any new information for his investigation. When he saw Azazel sitting on Charles’ sofa he growled, “Don’t you have any work to do?”

Charles looked amused, “I invited him. That stunt earlier wasn’t very funny Erik. Sean is never going to trust you now.”

Erik smirked and sat down in front of the white chess pieces for a change, “Actually Sean came to me and thanked me for pushing him. He knew that if he waited long enough I would push him because he couldn’t jump himself. I’d say that’s exactly why you invited me Charles. If you had pushed him it would’ve been an entirely different matter.”

Charles sat down and he didn’t contradict him. Charles gestured to the board, “It’s your move then Erik.”

Erik made a move and he thought wistfully about his custom-made metal chess set that was at home. He sat back in his chair, “Have you found out anything useful Charles?”

Charles frowned. It was easy to tell that he hated this. He hated the thought of someone he thought of as a friend being a traitor but he’d agreed to be involved and Erik didn’t have time to tiptoe around his feelings.

Charles made a move, “I haven’t noticed anyone acting unusual, well any more than they usually do. Why are you so sure that the person you are looking for is here?”

Erik looked at Azazel because he didn’t know the answer. Azazel took a long drink of his scotch, “We’re sure.”

Apparently that was all he was going to say on the subject. Erik made another move, “How do we know that it isn’t Charles? No offence, Charles.”

Charles did look offended but he didn’t say anything as he glared at the chessboard. Azazel shrugged, “They were sure that it wasn’t him before they even got here.”

Erik scowled, “I could’ve been told that before I arrived here.”

Azazel shrugged, “I don’t make the rules or give the orders Erik.”

Erik decided to ignore Azazel and concentrate on the chess match. After a long moment Charles admitted, “It could really be anyone I suppose, but I have strong doubts about it being Raven or Logan.”

Erik’s brow furrowed, “Logan, the art teacher?”

Charles chuckled softly at Erik’s reaction, “Logan is brilliant. He’s definitely not stupid or reckless enough to be selling secrets. The only thing that he really cares about is cold beer and the occasional good fight.”

Erik shrugged, “Alright. Who do you think that it could be?”

Charles sighed, “Some of the students are troubled and not every teacher has had a perfect history. I don’t want to speculate.”

Erik frowned, “I need something to go on.”

Charles looked at him pointedly, “Who do you think that it is?”

Erik settled back in his seat, “I don’t know. I don’t even know why. You said yourself that someone has been breaking into your office so I think it’s safe to say that something is going on.”

They went back and forth on the subject long after Azazel had grown bored and left to fid entertainment elsewhere. Erik practically trudged back up to his room long after it was dark. He was exhausted and they’d not made any progress. On the upside Erik was winning ten to nine in their chess matches.

He was close to his room when he saw something move in the corner of his eye. The corridor was almost pitch black since that there were no lights on which is why Erik almost didn’t see the attack. Something in dark clothing struck out at his head and Erik only just managed to avoid the punch. He was tired of being hit in the head.

When that failed the attacks kept coming. Whoever it was had obviously had some training but they’d not had as much as Erik. Erik was just gaining the upper hand when something stabbed him in the neck. Erik recognized the lethargic feeling immediately and he acted on the first impulse he had. He dropped his mental defences rapidly and yelled in his thoughts, _Charles!_

When Erik finally woke up he was pissed. He was too angry not to open his eyes right away and he hissed at the pain of the bright light hitting his eyes. He sat up, ignoring the disorientating feeling and before he could stand up he could feel Charles in his mind ordering him to stand still.

Erik growled, “Don’t control me like that.”

Charles just shrugged, “Then you should think before you act, my friend.”

Erik narrowed his eyes at the sobbing kid who was sitting in his chair by the chess table. Erik growled, “What the hell did he do to me?”

Charles put his hand on Erik’s shoulder and Erik was back in control of his body again, “It wasn’t James. Trust me. Someone stole one of his spikes and used it on you. They literally ripped it from his skin.”

For the first time Erik noticed the raw, jagged scar near the kid’s wrist and he felt a little bit bad for jumping to conclusions. Erik let Charles move him so that he was leaning against the back of the couch and his head was spinning quite as much, “Who was it?”

Charles looked at him with genuine regret, “I don’t know. That shout of yours made me jump out of my seat. You have a very loud mind, my friend. Why didn’t you use your mutation to trap whoever it was?”

Erik grunted, annoyed at his own stupidity, “I didn’t think about it at the time.” He closed his eyes and then opened one of them to look at James who was still sobbing, “Are you alright kid?” James started sobbing harder but he nodded at the same time and attempted to wipe his nose with his own shirtsleeve. Erik attempted a lame joke, “I’m pretty sure this means that you can get away with not doing your homework.”

Charles smiled fondly at them both, “Don’t encourage him Erik.”

Charles stood up and patted James on the back gently, “Logan’s waiting outside to take you back to your room. He’ll stand guard for tonight. You’re going to be okay James.”

James nodded and he walked slowly out of the room. At the doorway he turned back, “I’m glad you’re okay, sir.”

Erik tried to ignore the warm feeling in his gut. Once the kid was gone Erik gestured to the phone, “I need to call Emma.”

Charles shook his head, “There’s no need. I called Azazel five minutes before you woke up. Apparently Emma had a couple of things to finish but they will be here any moment now.”

Charles had barely finished speaking when Azazel and the blond bombshell that was Emma Frost appeared in front of them. Emma didn’t look happy. She scowled at Erik who was still too lethargic to defend himself against her icy glare.

He pouted, “It wasn’t my fault.”

Emma sank down gracefully into the chair Erik sat in for chess. He really wished that people would stop doing that. Emma smirked, “You’re projecting, darling. What happened to those defences we agreed on?”

Erik grumbled wordlessly and he slid his mental shields back into place rather than argue. He didn’t have the energy to start an argument with the most stubborn woman on the planet. Emma looked directly at Charles who looked back at her with concern and then amusement.

He leant back next to Erik, brushing Erik’s leg with his as he crossed them, “You could just ask me what you want to know, Miss Frost. There’s no need for all the intrusion.”

She scowled and Erik interjected, “Speak out loud please Emma. I would like to hear what is going on since that I was the one who was attacked.”

Emma nodded, “Very well Erik. Who knows the truth Mr Xavier?”

Charles’ smile was smooth, “Please, call me Charles. Apart from myself, no one. I imagine that whoever your target is has their own contacts that I am not privy to. The child who was just in here only knows that his English Literature teacher was attacked using his mutation and Logan, who is now guarding the child just in case only knows that I needed his help. Logan used to be a soldier and he’s used to waiting for information even if he doesn’t always wait patiently.”

Emma nodded, “Why would Erik have been attacked tonight?”

Charles shrugged, “I have no idea. Maybe Erik isn’t as subtle as he thought he was.”

Erik scowled at that implication, “Maybe you’re not as subtle as you think you are.”

Azazel chuckled, “I told you that they act like an old married couple.”

Erik snapped, “Shut up Azazel.”

One perfectly sleek eyebrow rose and Emma frowned, “You have an assignment Erik. You’re not here to play house.”

Erik stood up, indignant, “I am perfectly professional Emma and I have been knocked out for the second time this week. I am going to bed and I’ll write a goddamn report for you in the morning.”

He’d have to pull out his turtleneck sweaters to hide the evidence of his night time activities. The last thing that he wanted to do was answer multiple questions about what had happened to his neck. He didn’t think that James would be up for talking about it so he had nothing to worry about there. He really hoped that he wouldn’t be knocked out again during this assignment.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Erik had more reason than ever to find out who he was there for which only made his lack of progress more and more frustrating. Surprisingly the only time he wasn’t annoyed was when he was teaching. After only being there for two weeks it felt normal to greet students and teachers and it felt even more ordinary for them to greet him as they passed. He was getting comfortable which wasn’t a good thing when it was a temporary assignment.

Erik was standing at the front and he was in the middle of a lecture about why Chaucer was relevant and not just a huge pain in the ass when it came to studying literature when Azazel appeared in the middle of his classroom. The entire class jumped and one girl screamed. Thankfully Sean wasn’t in that particular class.

Erik hissed, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Azazel shook his head and he looked genuinely worried, “There’s no time for that.”

Azazel reached out and Erik found himself in Charles’ office the next moment. Charles was convulsing violently on his Persian rug and Azazel explained, “I found him like this a few seconds ago. He’d just called and asked to see me.” 

Concern overrode the brief flare of jealousy and Erik grabbed Charles as gently as he could to keep him still, “Get Emma. Now.” 

Azazel disappeared and re-appeared with a half-dressed Emma. She swore at them both until she focused and realised what Erik was doing. Erik was pretty sure that she was reading Charles mind when she fell silent but didn’t move. Within seconds she cried out in agony and then she turned into her diamond form and the pained cry stopped suddenly. 

She told Erik, “Someone’s done something to him. It’s like he’s reacting to a nightmare and he can’t wake up. He’s seeing horrible things and he can’t break out of the loop. I’ve never seen anything like it.” 

Erik swore and shook Charles, “Wake up Charles.”

Emma shook her head, “That’s not going to work. I don’t know if I can snap him out of the illusion.”

Charles’ thrashing grew in strength and Erik cursed loudly. He took apart the metal in his own chair to wrap it around Charles and hold him down to the ground so that he couldn’t hurt himself. Erik dimly realised that he felt like panicking, “What do we do?”

Neither Azazel nor Emma had any suggestions and in sheer desperation Erik slapped Charles hard on one cheek. Emma told him dryly, “I don’t think that is going to help.”

The door to the office was thrown open and Logan strode in. Erik watched in amazement as Logan reacted to the scene before him. Long claws that looked like they were made of bone slid out from between his fingers. Erik held up his hands and insisted, “It’s not what it looks like.”

Emma stepped in between Logan and themselves. She was still in her glittering diamond form and even Erik had to admit that it was a good distraction. Logan wasn’t distracted for long but by that time she was talking, “Erik’s powers are the only thing that is stopping the professor from hurting himself. Someone attacked his mind by making him think that he is trapped in an inescapable nightmare. Do you have any idea who could do that?”

Logan almost swore but he bit off the curse at the last moment and grunted, “No, no one here can do that as far as I am aware. Who are you and why would anyone attack the professor?”

Emma told him confidently, “We’re friends of Erik and that’s what we’re trying to find out. You can ask the professor himself when we fix this. You should move the kids away from this room and keep them away. We are going to fix this.” 

Even Erik was convinced by the confident tone of her voice and he watched Charles. Erik flexed his power, confident that Charles wouldn’t hurt himself and Raven came skidding into the room. Obviously she, much like the rest of them, was supposed to be in the middle of teaching because her blond hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and she was wearing tiny work out shorts and a tank top. Raven pushed past everyone to drop down onto her knees next to Charles. She was so distressed that she turned blue and Erik remembered that Raven was also Charles’ adopted sister. 

Raven almost screeched, “What the fuck is going on here?” 

Erik didn’t dare touch her because Raven knew her martial arts and she looked distressed but he did say, “Someone attacked him. He’s trapped in some kind of nightmare he can’t escape from.”

Raven was crying, “Not that. He hasn’t had night terrors since he was fifteen. Why would he be having them now?”

Emma said thoughtfully, “Someone must have unlocked the memory.”

Raven looked at Emma like she’d only just noticed the glittering woman, “Who the fuck are you?”

Emma waved her hand, “We don’t have time for that. You’re going to have to move out of the way Miss Darkholme.” 

Azazel was brave enough to gently grasp her shoulder and move Raven away, “Let them work.”

Raven was momentarily distracted by Azazel’s bright red skin, “Whoa.” 

Erik knelt on one side of Charles and Emma knelt down on the other. Emma came out of her diamond form and explained to Erik calmly, “I’m going to have to pull him out of the recurring memory. It’s your job to make sure that we don’t get trapped in it together.” 

Erik nodded, “Alright, how do I do that?”

Emma put her hand on Erik’s shoulder, “Lower your mental defences. I’m going to have to completely concentrate on him so you have to concentrate on both of us. Think about anything other than what is going on. It will give me something to anchor to and it will drag us both back. Can you wrap me in metal as well? Just in case.”

Erik nodded, “No problem. Just don’t get trapped in his brain because you still owe me money.” 

Emma gave a hollow laugh and the sound cut off as she started straight away. Erik dismantled another chair to wrap it around Emma and keep her upright. He scrambled for a topic and Erik started to give a mental lecture about the use of satire in Shakespeare’s plays. It was good practice for his classes and it was the only thing he could think of at the time that both Emma and Charles would associate with him. 

It felt like hours although Erik suspected it wasn’t since that he didn’t even reach the play ‘As You Like It’ before Emma started to shudder. Erik almost stopped talking in his head but just in case the movement was a good sign he kept going.

Finally Emma opened her eyes, “Erik, please stop talking about Shakespeare.”

Charles’ lip curled upwards but he didn’t open his eyes, “Keep going Erik. It’s rather fascinating.” 

Erik unwound the metal and Raven didn’t wait for Charles to sit up before she threw herself on him and hugged him tightly. Raven chattered, “Oh my god! Are you okay? What happened? Who did this? Never do that to me again!” 

Charles made a slight choking sound and Erik pointed out, “Raven, he needs air so that he can breathe.” 

Raven let go of her brother and his head hit the floor. Her hands flew up to her mouth, “Oh my god Charles, I’m so sorry.”

Charles opened those incredible blue eyes and he smiled up at his sister, “It’s fine Raven and please, stop cursing.” 

Raven changed from blue to her blond form and Charles looked at Erik. Erik smiled shakily, “Welcome back.” 

Erik helped Charles to sit up properly and he looked around at the worried faces in the room, “My, this is quite an audience. Aren’t some of you supposed to be teaching classes right now?” 

Logan grunted, “I’ll take care of it Professor.” 

Logan left, making the kids in the hallway scatter quickly and Erik asked, “What happened Charles?”

Emma looked sharply at Raven, “Erik, is this an appropriate conversation right now?” 

Erik snorted, “If you think that it’s her then you’re crazy. It’s not Raven.” 

Raven was frustrated, “What’s not me? What the… what is going on?”

Erik was amused that Raven almost swore but she stopped when Charles looked at her sharply. Charles ran one hand through that constantly ruffled hair, “I’m afraid that I don’t remember a lot, my friend. Someone hit me in the back of the head right after I called Azazel and then I heard your mental voice.” 

Erik looked at Azazel who said, “I was in the middle of an interrogation so it took me about five minutes to finish and appear here.”

Erik nodded grimly, “Is this some sort of game to this guy? Why is this sort of thing happening? It doesn’t really make sense if we’re suspected because I definitely do not feel close to cracking this. It just doesn’t make sense.” 

Emma placed her long fingers against her forehead, “I need time to think.”

Charles looked at his saviour and blushed, “Oh, I’m dreadfully sorry Miss Frost, would you like some clothes?”

Emma smiled sweetly at Charles and Erik and Azazel looked alarmed. They’d never seen Emma look so gentle. It was scary.

Emma declined politely, “Thank you Professor Xavier but Azazel will drop me off home now so that I can get some rest and I suggest that you can do the same. We’re both feeling the effects of that little trip. I need to do some research to see if anything similar has happened to someone else before.” 

Charles nodded, “Very well. Thank you Miss Frost and please, call me Charles.” 

Emma smiled and Erik almost had a heart attack. She stood up and stretched her hand towards Azazel, “I’ll contact you with any information I find Charles, and you may call me Emma.” Her expression hardened, “Take me home Azazel.” 

Azazel looked at Charles who nodded, “What I wanted to talk to you about can wait Azazel until a better time.” 

Azazel nodded and together Erik’s friends disappeared. Raven stood up and put her hands on her hips, “Alright, tell me what is going on right now.”


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Erik was storming through the corridors of the mansion. Apparently he looked as mad as he felt because every single person in the corridors disappeared apart from Logan. He put out his hand to stop Erik’s progress and Erik glared at him.

Logan was calm, “Where are you going there, bub?”

Erik scowled, “I’m going to see Charles.”

Logan crossed his arms, “You don’t look very happy.”

Erik didn’t have time for this, “That’s because I’m not. Now, please get out of my way Logan.”

Logan smiled, “I think that I won’t. Maybe you should calm down before you go and see the Professor.”

Erik really wanted to pin Logan to the wall using the loose change in his pocket but he knew that Charles wouldn’t overlook that. He wasn’t used to having to play nice with people he barely knew. Erik took a deep breath and then another when the first one had no effect.

Erik mentally centred himself, “I need to talk to Charles about something. It’s urgent.”

Logan looked dubious, “Why didn’t you just talk to him from wherever you were if it was so important?”

Erik frowned and then understanding dawned. All Erik had to do was lower his mental defences a little bit and get Charles’ attention. He didn’t really have to walk all of the way down from his classroom to Charles’ office. Erik ignored Logan while he thought about that. He’d talked like that with Emma before during meetings at the office so it wasn’t like he didn’t know how to do it and he didn’t think that Charles would object to talking like that.

It would also make their conversations more private and being accidentally heard wouldn’t really be a problem. Honestly, the idea hadn’t even occurred to him but not because it didn’t make any sense. Erik moved to the window and he looked across at the satellite although he wasn’t really paying any attention to his surroundings. He wanted to see Charles face to face. Really his problem wasn’t even that important and it didn’t have anything to do with the real reason why Erik was there. He’d already accepted that he was a little bit jealous of Charles’ fascination with Azazel. Erik didn’t have a lot of friends, his job and his attitude didn’t exactly welcome them, but this was…

Erik cursed his own stupidity out loud. He liked to see Charles face to face. He was soft and smart and he had a sense of humour that wasn’t as rough or hard as Erik’s. He liked the professor and that was a complication he didn’t need. It was good to finally realise what that feeling was that had been following him around. It felt like a relief to put a name to it.

Erik started walking in the opposite direction to Charles’ office, “Thanks Logan.”

Erik changed his clothes immediately and he started running along the gravel path that surrounded the school. He’d do two laps of the house before he’d take off towards the forest. Erik figured that had as long as his run would take to think. As Erik slowed down when he reached the third corner around the house heard lowered voices and he stopped to listen.

“We can’t do that.”

“Yes we can. All you need to do is get the plans.”

“But we haven’t been able to find the plans and now we have someone who is looking for us.”

“Actually they’re looking for me but your damn right that I’m dragging you down with me if they catch me. We need those plans if we’re going to save our skins.”

Erik opened his mind and mentally reached out for Charles, _Charles, listen to this._ He could’ve been imagining it but he was reasonably sure that Charles was paying attention.

“We’ve looked everywhere for the plans and we can’t find it. If you want Shaw to have those plans then you’re going to have to find them yourself.”

There was the sound of scuffling, “We are in this together and you were the one who mentioned Cerebro in the first place. I was perfectly fine with the way things were and you just had to go and open your big mouth. He wants to step up his plan as soon as possible and now he’s counting on us.”

Erik heard more shuffling sounds and the lowered voices were moving away. Erik risked a look around the corner but the owners of the voices had disappeared and Erik cursed silently. Charles voice in his mind was worried, _Erik, meet me in my office now._

He would rather go after the people who were obviously his targets but Charles sounded like it was urgent. If Erik was lucky Charles would know who they were and there wouldn’t be a problem in handing them over to his agency. Erik didn’t take the time to change so he was a tiny bit sweaty and his long limbs were mostly uncovered as he was wearing running shorts and a short sleeved t-shirt. Charles gestured to the couch and Erik politely declined.

Charles looked unusually grim and Erik asked, “Did you recognize the voices?”

Charles thought hard about that, “I should be able to figure out who they are but I can’t. It’s frustrating. Our big problem is what they were talking about.”

Erik rested his hands on the desk, “Explain.”

Charles stood up, “Cerebro is a machine that Hank and I are designing together. It will allow me to connect with every mind on the planet so that I can find and help other mutants. They need to know about this school and how we can help them. As you can imagine, it’s not a project that we have told everyone about. We don’t even have a working model yet. I got the impression that you know who Shaw is.”

Erik visibly flinched, “Yeah, I know who that sadistic bastard is. His name is Sebastian Shaw, although he has a lot of aliases, and he is a dangerous mutant who loves to experiment. My agency has been after him for years and, well, I’ve had some dealings with him.”

Charles put one hand on Erik’s shoulder in a calming gesture, “Easy, friend, where is Shaw now?”

Erik shrugged, “The last thing I heard about him was that he was off the grid. If we can tie this to him I might finally be able to take him down.”

Charles rubbed Erik’s shoulder gently and Erik tried really hard not to think about his earlier revelation. Charles nodded, “Then I will do everything that I can to help. We need to go and see Hank immediately.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

It was obvious that Erik made Hank nervous. Charles even went so far as to pat the young lad on the back and reassure him that Erik won’t bite. Erik just gave that shark-like grin and didn’t make any promises.

It didn’t reassure Hank but it did amuse Erik. Unfortunately they didn’t have a lot of time for that so Erik leant back against a convenient wall, crossed his arms and waited while Charles filled in Hank on what was happening. Erik constantly found it amazing that Charles was so trusting.

Hank paled, “They want Cerebro?”

Charles patted his back soothingly, “I know, Hank, but we’re not going to let them get it I promise.”

Hank looked like Charles had just told him someone was after his first born child. Erik decided to be blunt, “Where are the plans?”

Hank glared, “I’m not telling you.”

Charles frowned, “Be nice Hank. Please, my friend, where are the plans?”

Hank looked directly at Charles and Erik wondered if that was how he looked when he spoke mentally to Emma. It was kind of disconcerting. Eventually Charles nodded and smiled, “Good, they won’t think to look for them there. Now we need to find a way of flushing out who the culprits are now that we know for sure that they are on the premises.”

Sometimes Charles phrased things in a strange way. ‘Culprits’ was definitely on the list. Erik couldn’t help but be charmed by it and a little bit annoyed by his own reaction. He also tried hard to ignore Charles’ obvious lack of faith in Erik’s agency.

Erik shrugged it off and straightened, “I already have a plan.” The look on Hank’s face was a mixture of fear and disbelief whereas Charles just looked at him with blind faith. Erik felt the shark-like grin pull at his lips and Hank flinched, “I’m not sure that you’re going to like it Charles but don’t worry, it doesn’t involve any violence, unfortunately.”

Erik was right that Charles didn’t like the plan but since that the professor couldn’t come up with anything better or more elegant they went with Erik’s rudimentary idea. Charles didn’t believe that it was going to work and Erik was eager to prove the professor wrong. Despite some events that suggested otherwise Erik was actually good at his job. That evening Erik went to Charles office under the pretence of meeting Charles for their chess game. Once he was inside and the door was closed Erik winked at Charles who rolled his eyes but he also nodded.

They were working under the assumption that whoever was looking for the plans to Cerebro was listening to what was going on in Charles’ office since that Erik had been attacked on his way back from there and Charles only ever talked about the project out loud in his office or Hank’s lab.

Erik sat down in his usual chair, “Thank you for telling me about Cerebro today Charles. It was really quite fascinating. I do have a question though. Can any telepath use it or are you the only one who can?”

Charles moved a white pawn on the chess board, “Theoretically any telepath could use it effectively but I’ve always believed that every mutant is unique so I don’t know what sort of range another telepath would have.”

Erik nodded, “Hank is really quite a genius.”

Charles smiled genuinely, “Yes, he really is. So, Erik, what do you usually do when you’re not pretending to teach?”

Erik smirked, they figured by this point that they already knew the real reason as to why Erik was there since that they’d attacked him before they’d attacked the professor. Charles also seemed honestly interested in the answer so he answered truthfully, “I just spent six months in Columbia tracking down members of a drug cartel.”

Charles’ eyes widened, “For six months?”

Erik shrugged, he’d been on longer operations than that but he supposed that to someone else it could seem a little bit shocking, “The operation went deep. Luckily I’d just about finished when this job came up. I just wish that I could find out who it was for you Charles.”

Charles lowered his voice, “What will you do when they’re caught?”

Erik sat back, “Well, I’ll be given another assignment I suppose.”

Erik thought loud enough for Charles to catch it, _I might even get the chance to catch Shaw._

_Is that what you want?_

_Shaw needs to be stopped. This job might just give me the opportunity to take him out for good._

_What did he do to you?_

Erik didn’t want Charles to know. He didn’t want him to be sullied by those awful memories but they sprang to the surface anyway and Charles gave a pained gasp, “Oh my god.”

Erik couldn’t lift his head to look at him as he tried to cut off the stream of violent memories, “I’m sorry about that Charles. I didn’t want you to see that.”

Erik jumped slightly as Charles’ hand covered his own, “I am so sorry Erik.”

Erik looked up into those electric blue eyes and he almost lost himself in them. He wanted to but they were interrupted. Grimly, Erik thought that it was probably or the best. Charles drew his hand back and Erik mourned the loss for a couple of seconds before he looked at the two kids Logan was holding by the collars of their shirts.

Logan practically threw them at the couch, “You were right. Listening device.”

After learning about Logan’s hearing that was quite extraordinary Erik had encouraged Charles to get the man to help. Despite Charles’ faith in Logan Erik had still thought that it would take longer for them to find the felons. Erik almost rolled his eyes at himself for using such a soft word. Clearly that was Charles’ influence.

Erik frowned, “I don’t know these kids.”

Erik looked at Charles who looked broken hearted, “Their names are Lewis and Graham but their nicknames are Phantasm and Chameleon.”

Erik crossed his arms, “I’d really hoped that it wouldn’t be the kids. Alright, how did you two get mixed up with Sebastian Shaw?”

The kid with dark blond curly hair clamped his lips together tightly. The kid with red hair was visibly shaking and he looked close to tears. It was easy to tell who the so-called brains of the situation was.

Erik had a slightly worrying thought and he turned to Charles, “Do we need to be worried about their mutations?”

Charles shook his head, “Even if Graham uses his mutation I’ll be able to keep track of him so he knows that it’s no good to try and escape. Lewis needs contact for at least a few seconds with bare skin for his mutation to work. I’d not realised that his powers would loop the hallucination if he wanted to. I’d not realised that it could be so dark either.”

Erik looked at the kids. Erik needed to hand them over to his agency, “I have to call Emma.”

Charles looked panicked, “Now?”

Erik put his hand on Charles shoulder in the way Charles had done to him many times before, “Emma knows that they’re just kids. It depends on how far they’ve gone but no harm is going to come to them if I have anything to say about it. However, my agency might put the fear of god in them just to prevent this from happening again.”

The red-heads shaking intensified and Erik thought, _I wouldn’t let anything happen to them Charles. They’re just kids. You trust me that much, don’t you?_

_I do and they are just kids, that’s the point. Can’t I talk to them first?_

_Do you think that they’ll answer you Charles? I have to call Emma eventually._

Charles wordlessly handed the phone to him but he held up his finger to signal for Erik to give him one minute. The professor pulled a chair out so that he was sitting in front of the two boys, “Graham, Lewis, why did you do it? Don’t you like it here at this school?”

The red-head spoke up, “I love it here. Don’t send me home professor. All I did was come in here a few times and look for those plans. Lewis sent me into Hank’s lab as well but I swear that I didn’t touch anything important. I didn’t want to do anything but Lewis threatened me.”

Lewis turned to glare at Graham, “I did not threaten you. You wanted to help. You wanted to be part of Shaw’s plan. You begged to help us.”

Erik zeroed in on the kid’s phrasing, “What is Shaw’s plan?”

The kid jumped and pressed his lips together again. Erik hated interrogations. He was much better at taking down the bad guy and leaving the questioning to somebody else. He didn’t have the patience for it. Charles looked at Erik and nodded sadly.

Erik made the call straight away and Azazel was in the room a moment later, “Are these the ones?”

Erik nodded, “Be gentle, especially with the red-head, I’m not sure that they know what they’ve gotten themselves tangled up in. Oh, and don’t hold onto the blonde any longer than necessary or he’ll start messing with your head.”

Azazel nodded and grinned, “I have some good news Erik. Shaw’s on the move and we’ve found him. You have been given the chance to take point on this.”

Erik almost jumped for joy, “Take them right now and come straight back. We need to move on this immediately or we won’t get this opportunity again.”

Azazel grabbed the kids and disappeared. With only seconds left and no time to think about his car or his belongings Erik settled for thinking about something else. He grabbed Charles by his soft dark green jumper and he pulled him closer. The kiss was hurried and it had almost no finesse but Charles didn’t push away or try to stop him. Erik figured that it could’ve been due to the shock but he wasn’t going to complain.

He let go of the slightly rumpled professor, “I’ll see you around Charles.”

Then he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Graham and Lewis are both original character’s belonging to me. Graham, also known as Chameleon, can change the pigment of his skin to blend in amongst almost any background which makes him very difficult to see. Lewis, also known as Phantasm, can manipulate a person’s mind into seeing anything he wants them to including the thing that they fear the most over and over again but he needs to be in contact with the person for no less than one minute for the image to survive for longer than a few seconds.


	11. Chapter 11

Epilogue

It was raining.

It was cold.

Erik was pretty sure that it was some of the worst conditions that he could’ve arrived in.

It was a lot different to how he’d arrived last time but he wasn’t going to wait until a finer day to do it. He had no idea how he was going to received. He just hoped that he wouldn’t be drooling in his Jell-O for the rest of his life.

Erik had put on his best black turtleneck sweater and black slacks that morning and now they were soaked through and they made walking very uncomfortable. Azazel had dropped him off just inside the gates since that he’d never gotten his car back and he’d not wanted to announce his presence so soon to the people living there by ringing the doorbell.

Erik walked up the thick stone steps and he raised his hand to knock. He never quite managed to make the sound that was supposed to follow the action as he just stood there with his hand raised. Erik recognized that he was panicking. Rain was slicing down his face and body and he was shivering. He knew that there was warmth inside and possibly food but he was scared. Being scared wasn’t a rare feeling for Erik but he was usually a lot better at handling the feeling. No matter what happened any sort of rejection was going to cut him deeply and that was terrifying. He was actually thinking about walking head first into the fire and this time the danger wasn’t bullets or knives or murderous mutants.

He hated emotional stuff. He also had nowhere else to go. After five months Shaw was captured and contained and Erik had finally completed what he’d set out to accomplish. Then he’d handed in his resignation without a second thought and he’d thought endlessly about Charles and the school.

Technically Azazel and Emma weren’t supposed to make contact with Erik anymore but Emma was a cold ice queen who always got her way and nobody could stop Azazel from doing what he wanted so his friends had refused to give him any peace. It was actually them who’d told him to go back to Charles before he drove them crazy. Any protests on his part were met with hard logic and cold stares. It was difficult to argue with that.

Erik lowered his hand and he started to turn away when the door opened. A sleep rumpled Charles in the stupidest blue and grey flannel pyjamas Erik had ever seen was standing inside, “Five months and you don’t even call.”

Erik flinched, “Well, I had to come back for my car sometime.”

Charles grabbed Erik by the arm and he pulled him inside, “That had better not be all you came for.”

Charles kissed him roughly and Erik thought, _Thank god I came back._

Charles stepped back slightly and grinned, “I’ll thank every god that you came back if you like.”

Erik chuckled, “Save that for later. For now I want to play chess.”

Charles laughed out loud at the thoughts that ran underneath that statement and he started walking, offering Erik a great view, but Erik didn’t let him get far before he was following him.

Charles called out over his shoulder, “You do realise that you’ll still have to teach if you want to live here? Welcome back, Mr Lehnsherr.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done. If you liked it then great and keep an eye out for a follow up story about Logan involving school representation, art and more of Erik and Charles being cuddly and adorable :D Thank you for reading X


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